Radio România Internațional

Tag: Lazar Comanescu

  • 30.03.2021 (mise à jour)

    30.03.2021 (mise à jour)

    Coronavirus – Plus de 6.200 nouveaux cas de Covid-19 ont été enregistrés mardi, en Roumanie, sur un total de presque 30.000 testes effectués. Depuis le début de la pandémie, plus de 946.000 personnes ont été contaminées au Sars-CoV-2 en Roumanie dont 23.400 sont décédées. Le bilan des décès sest alourdi de 175 morts ces dernières 24 heures. 1.405 malades de Covid sont actuellement en soins intensifs, soit un nouveau record depuis le début de la pandémie. Par ailleurs, la campagne de vaccination se poursuit. Quelque 2 millions de personnes ont été déjà vaccinées en Roumanie dont plus de 50% ont reçu les deux doses obligatoires. Au mois davril, les médecins de famille seront eux aussi cooptés dans la campagne dimmunisation, a fait savoir le docteur Valeriu Gheorghiță, coordinateur de cette campagne. Il a également précisé quaprès le 10 avril les étrangers ayant le droit de séjourner en Roumanie pourront sinscrire sur la plate-forme en ligne dédiée à la vaccination. Toujours en avril, la Roumanie recevra plus de 3,3 millions de doses de vaccin anti-Covid. De nouvelles restrictions sanitaires sont en vigueur depuis quelques jours. Désormais, dans les zones où le taux dincidence est supérieur à 4 cas pour mille habitants, en fin de semaine (les vendredi-samedi-dimanche), un couvre-feu sera instauré à 20h00 et les magasins fermeront à 18 heures. Si le taux dinfection dépasse 7,5 cas pour mille habitants, les restrictions sappliqueront tout au long de la semaine.



    Manifestations – Le président roumain Klaus Iohannis affirme que les protestations sont naturelles dans les démocraties fonctionnelles, tout en soulignant que les manifestations violentes, l’extrémisme et la xénophobie sont intolérables et totalement inacceptables. Le chef de l’Etat a déclaré quil comprenait le mécontentement des Roumains, au bout dune année de restrictions, mais que ces mesures étaient les seules à pouvoir contribuer à faire diminuer la propagation de la Covid. Klaus Iohannis a appelé les autorités responsables de la gestion de la pandémie à redoubler defforts, à dialoguer davantage avec les gens pour leur expliquer pourquoi certaines mesures ont été mises en œuvre et quelle est leur efficacité. Il a tenu ces propos dans la foulée des amples manifestations contre les restrictions imposées par le gouvernement en raison de la pandémie. Ces manifestations ont eu lieu lundi soir, pour la deuxième journée consécutive, à Bucarest et dans plusieurs autres villes de Roumanie. Dans certaines villes, les contestations ont viré à la violence. Le premier ministre, Florin Cîţu, a déclaré qu’au bout dune année de restrictions, les citoyens ont le droit de manifester, mais qu’ils doivent le faire dans le respect de la loi. Le président du PSD (dopposition), Marcel Ciolacu, affirme, lui, que ce sont le désespoir, la pauvreté et la lassitude à légard de lactuelle crise qui ont poussé les gens à descendre dans la rue. Selon lui, une des solutions serait de repenser les restrictions. Par ailleurs, 1.200 amendes ont été infligées aux manifestants, sur lensemble du pays, a fait savoir le ministre de l’Intérieur, Lucian Bode. 12 gendarmes ont été blessés lors des manifestations à Bucarest et plus de 180 personnes ont été interpellées.



    Diplomatie – Le diplomate roumain Lazăr Comănescu a été nommé au poste de secrétaire général de l’Organisation de coopération économique de la mer Noire (OCEMN). Selon le ministre roumain des Affaires étrangères, Bogdan Aurescu, il s’agit d’un succès de la diplomatie roumaine et d’une preuve de l’engagement continu de la Roumanie en faveur de la coopération à la mer Noire. Lazăr Comănescu a été ministre des Affaires étrangères, ambassadeur de Roumanie en Allemagne de 2009 à 2015 et chef de la Représentation de la Roumanie auprès de l’UE, entre 2001 et 2008. L’Organisation de coopération économique de la mer Noire Actuellement, comprend actuellement 13 Etats membres: Albanie, Arménie, Azerbaïdjan, Bulgarie, Géorgie, Grèce, République de Moldova, République de Macédoine du Nord, Fédération de Russie, Roumanie, Turquie, Ukraine et Serbie. La Roumanie a assumé la présidence en exercice de lorganisation en 2020, pour la sixième fois depuis l’institutionnalisation de celle-ci, en 1992.


    Ambassadeurs – Sept candidats proposés aux postes d’ambassadeurs roumains à l’étranger ont reçu, mardi, un avis favorable, à l’issue des auditions au sein des commissions parlementaires mixtes pour la politique étrangère et pour les communautés roumaines à l’étranger. Il s’agit de Bogdan Mazuru, proposé pour la Confédération suisse, Radu Octavian Dobre, pour l’Irak, Dragoş Viorel Radu Ţigău – pour le Kenya, Theodor-Cosmin Onisii, pour la Pologne, Călin Fabian, pour la Slovaquie. Călin Stoica, proposé pour le poste d’ambassadeur en Estonie, et Monica Mihaela Ştirbu pour le Brésil ont été entendus par visioconférence. Le président de la Commission pour la politique étrangère du Sénat, Titus Corlăţean, a annoncé que les auditions de 12 autres candidats au poste d’ambassadeur se poursuivraient dans les semaines à venir, dans un format mixte, présentiel/distanciel.



    Aide– Le gouvernement roumain va accorder en
    2021 une aide financière de 150.000 euros aux réfugiés syriens et tiendra les
    engagements pluriannuels pris antérieurement, a annoncé le chef de la
    diplomatie à Bucarest, Bogdan Aurescu. Selon un communiqué du Ministère roumain
    des Affaires étrangères, le ministre Aurescu a eu, mardi, une intervention lors
    de la session ministérielle de la 5e Conférence sur le soutien à l’avenir de la
    Syrie et de la région. Organisée par l’UE et l’ONU, cette session s’est tenue par
    visioconférence. La Roumanie continuera à soutenir l’amélioration de la
    situation humanitaire en Syrie, le développement et la résilience des Etats de
    la région qui accueillent un nombre important de réfugiés, ainsi que les
    efforts de l’UE et de l’ONU visant à résoudre la crise syrienne, a déclaré le
    chef de la diplomatie de Bucarest, Bogdan Aurescu. Il a vivement appelé à redoubler d’efforts pour
    trouver une solution politique à la crise syrienne. Bogdan Aurescu a également
    mis en exergue la nécessité que l’UE et la communauté internationale jouent un
    rôle accru quand il s’agit d’impulser les négociations à ce sujet.









    Suez – LAutorité sanitaire et vétérinaire roumaine a fait savoir mardi que les 11 navires transportant des animaux vivants depuis la Roumanie vers les pays du golfe Persique via le canal de Suez étaient en route vers leur destination. L’annonce intervient après la reprise du trafic maritime, bloqué, une semaine durant, après l’échouement d’un énorme porte-conteneurs. Quelques 450 navires étaient à larrêt à cause de ce blocage. Le commandant de l’Autorité du canal de Suez a déclaré que le trafic sur cette route maritime reviendrait à la normale dans 3 ou 4 jours.



  • Nachrichten 04.10.2019

    Nachrichten 04.10.2019

    Die
    rumänische Ministerpräsidentin Viorica Dăncilă hat dem Staatspräsidenten Klaus
    Iohannis am Freitag neue Namen für Interimsministern zu den vakanten Regierungsämtern
    vorgeschlagen. Es geht um sieben Vorschläge von Interimsministern, darunter
    diejenigen für das Innenministerium, das Ministerium für Bildung oder für Justiz.
    Wir erinnern daran, dass das Staatsoberhaupt an eine Entscheidung des
    Verfassungsgerichts gebunden ist, nach dem Rückzug von ALDE aus der Regierung, Interimsminister
    zu ernennen. Klaus Iohannis erklärte in einer Mittteilung, dass die Verfassung
    es ihm nicht erlaube, eine zweite aufeinanderfolgende Übergangszeit im
    Bildungsministerium einzurichten, nachdem Minister Daniel Breaz, der neue
    Vorschlag, dieses Amt 45 Tage ausgeübt habe.

    Das rumänische Außenministerium hat der Ständigen Wahlbehörde die Liste der vorgeschlagenen Wahllokale für die Präsidentschaftswahl im November vorgelegt. Die Liste enthält auch die 78 Wahlstationen, die infolge der online-Anmeldungen von Wählern auf votstrainatate.ro eingerichtet werden sollen. Bis zum 19. Oktober wird das Ministerium neue Vorschläge für die Einrichtung von Wahllokalen im Ausland vorlegen. Was die Briefwahl angeht, so teilt die Ständige Wahlbehörde mit, dass die Rumänische Post bereits über 10.000 Umschläge an die Auslandsrumänen geschickt hat, weitere 4.500 sollen im kommenden Zeitraum verschickt werden. Der Wahlkampf beginnt am 12. Oktober. Der erste Wahlgang der Präsidentschaftswahl ist für den 10. November geplant, die Stichwahl für den 24. November. Insgesamt 14 Kandidaten treten bei der Präsidentschaftswahl an.



    Das Europäische Parlament erwägt die Möglichkeit, neue Anhörungen zu organisieren, um der Französin Sylvie Goulard, die für die Position der Kommissarin für Binnenmarkt, Industrie und Verteidigungspolitik nominiert wurde, eine zweite Chance zu geben. Dasselbe gilt auch im Fall anderer Kandidaten, die davon nicht überzeugt haben, dass sie ausreichend ausgebildet sind, ihre jeweiligen Ressorts in der kommenden Europäischen Kommission zu verwalten. Sylvie Goulard, die im Verdacht steht, an der fiktiven Beschäftigung einer parlamentarischen Assistentin beteiligt zu sein, ist nicht die einzige Kandidatin, die diese Woche Probleme bei ihren Anhörungen hatte. Die für Inneres nominierte Schwedin Ylva Johansson und der für das Amt des EU-Agrarkommissars nominierte Pole Janusz Wojciechowski waren bei ihren Anhörungen erfolglos. Eine zweite Runde von Anhörungen könnte am 14. und 15. Oktober stattfinden. Die von Ungarn und Rumänien nominierten neuen Kandidaten werden zu diesem Zeitpunkt vor den Ausschüssen des Europäischen Parlaments erscheinen, nachdem die Kandidaturen von László Trócsányi und Rovana Plumb vom Rechtsausschuss abgelehnt wurden. Die Kommission unter der Leitung der deutschen Ursula von der Leyen soll in der Plenarsitzung vom 21. bis 24. Oktober in Luxemburg vereidigt werden und ihre Tätigkeit am 1. November aufnehmen.



    Die Abteilung für Nachhaltige Entwicklung in der rumänischen Regierung veranstaltet am Freitag die internationale Konferenz mit dem Titel Die Umsetzung der UN-Ziele 2030 im Schwarzmeerraum. Rumänien ist ein regionales Zentrum bei der Umsetzung der Agenda von 2030, sagte der Leiter der Abteilung für nachhaltige Entwicklung Laszlo Borbely. Die Veranstaltung soll eine Plattform für den Dialog und den Erfahrungsaustausch zwischen Regierungsstellen, Universitäten, NGOs und anderen Einrichtungen bieten, um die Ziele der nachhaltigen Entwicklung in der Schwarzmeerregion umzusetzen. Die Agenda 2030 umfasst 17 Ziele, die im Laufe von 15 Jahren umgesetzt werden sollen, darunter die Beseitigung extremer Armut, die Bekämpfung von Ungleichheiten und Ungerechtigkeiten sowie den Schutz des Planeten.



    Rumänien kann von vietnamesischen Unternehmern als Zentrum für den Handel innerhalb der EU wahrgenommen werden, hat der Berater für internationale Beziehungen des Präsidenten der Rumänischen Industrie- und Handelskammer Lazar Comanescu in Bukarest am Rande des Rumänien-Vietnam Geschäftsforums erklärt. Vietnam und die EU haben in diesem Jahr unter dem rumänischen EU-Ratsvorsitz ein Kooperations- und Investitionsabkommen unterzeichnet, erinnerte Comanescu. Vietnam ist nach Singapur der zweitgrößte Handelspartner der EU aus dem Verband der südostasiatischen Nationen mit einem Gesamtvolumen von 47,6 Milliarden Dollar an gehandelten Waren und 3,6 Milliarden Dollar an gehandelten Dienstleistungen. Eine wachsende Zahl von EU-Unternehmen siedelt sich zudem in diesem Land an. Zu den wichtigsten Importen Vietnams in die EU gehören Telekommunikationsausrüstung, Bekleidung und Lebensmittel. Die EU exportiert nach Vietnam Fahrzeuge und Transportausrüstungen, chemische und landwirtschaftliche Produkte.



    Der rumänische Fußballmeister CFR Cluj hat am Donnerstag im zweiten Spiel der Europa League auswärts gegen Celtic Glasgow mit 2:0 verloren. In derselben Gruppe besiegte Lazio Rom Rennes aus Frankreich mit 2:1. Celtic liegt nun mit 4 Punkten auf demersten Platz, gefolgt von CFR mit 3 Punkten, Lazio mit 3 Punkten und Rennes mit 1 Punkt.



    Kaltes Wetter in Rumänien. Es regnet vereinzelt im Süden, Südosten und im Nordwesten. Der Wind weht schwach, stärker an der Schwarzmeerküste. Die Mindestwerte liegen zwischen 4 und 12 Grad, die Höchstwerte erreichen 18 Grad. Der Wetterdienst hat eine Warnung der Stufe Gelb wegen starker Regefälle für den Südosten des Landes ausgerufen. Die Wassermengen können 35, vereinzelt 40-60 L-qm überschreiten.

  • Jurnal românesc – 02.01.2017

    Jurnal românesc – 02.01.2017

    Mai mulţi lideri politici au transmis românilor urări de Anul Nou



    Într-un mesaj video postat pe Facebook, preşedintele Klaus Iohannis i-a îndemnat pe conaţionalii din ţară şi din străinătate să nu îşi piardă încrederea în România. Pe aceeaşi reţea de socializare, premierul Dacian Cioloş le-a urat românilor de pretutindeni “mai mult zâmbet, mai multe bucurii, mai multă încredere şi forţa de a recunoaşte că prosperitatea ne împlineşte atunci când este construită cu onestitate şi muncă cinstită. Pe contul său de Facebook, premierul desemnat, Sorin Grindeanu, şi-a exprimat speranţa că Noul An va aduce românilor linişte, progres şi zile mai bune, dând asigurări că viitorul Guvern va lua măsuri pentru a creşte calitatea vieţii românilor. La rândul său, preşedintele Camerei Deputaţilor, liderul PSD Liviu Dragnea, îşi doreşte ca 2017 să fie “un an al reconstrucţiei şi al creşterii economice care să se simtă în buzunarele românilor.



    România, de 10 ani în UE



    La 1 ianuarie 2017 s-au împlinit zece ani de când România face parte din Uniunea Europeană. Conform unui comunicat de presă al Ministerului Afacerilor Externe, şeful diplomaţiei de la Bucureşti, Lazăr Comănescu, afirmă că în toată această perioadă, România s-a situat printre promotorii cei mai activi ai continuării şi consolidării procesului de integrare europeană, acesta rămânând în continuare un obiectiv strategic pentru ţara noastră. Procesul de aderare a României la UE a început în iarna lui 1993, odată cu încheierea unui acord de asociere, în primăvara lui 2005 s-a semnat Tratatul de aderare, pentru ca de la 1 ianuarie 2007 statul român să devină oficial membru al Uniunii Europene. După aderare, România are reprezentanţi în toate instituţiile europene, iar cetăţenii săi beneficiază de drepturile conferite de cetăţenia europeană. Ţara noastră a organizat alegeri europarlamentare de trei ori: în 2007, 2009 şi 2014. În Parlamentul European, în legislatura 2014-2019, românii sunt reprezentaţi de 32 de eurodeputaţi. De-a lungul celor zece ani de la intrarea în UE, România a avut trei comisari europeni: Leonard Orban, comisar pentru Multilingvism între 2007 şi 2010, Dacian Cioloş, comisar pentru Agricultură şi Dezvoltare Rurală între 2010 şi 2014, şi Corina Creţu, comisar pentru Politica Regională între 2014 şi 2019. După un deceniu în UE, România se află încă sub Mecanismul de Cooperare şi Verificare pe Justiţie, este în afara spaţiului Schengen, iar aderarea la moneda euro rămâne un obiectiv de viitor. De la 1 ianuarie 2017, Malta a preluat preşedinţia rotativă a Consiliului Uniunii Europene. Şi România va deţine această funcţie între ianuarie-iunie 2019.



    Salariul minim va crește de la 1 februarie



    În România, salariul minim brut pe economie ar urma să fie majorat, de viitorul Guvern, cu 200 de lei şi va urca la 1.450 de lei, începând cu 1 februarie 2017, a anunţat preşedintele PSD, Liviu Dragnea. În 2015, circa 1,1 milioane de salariaţi erau încadraţi cu salariul minim în mediul privat şi doar aproximativ 40.000, la stat. În plus, şi amenzile de circulaţie ar urma să crească, în condiţiile în care un punct de amendă este egal cu 10% din salariul minim brut pe economie. Tot de la începutul lunii viitoare urmează să fie eliminată contribuţia de sănătate pentru toţi pensionarii, iar toate pensiile sub 2000 de lei vor fi scutite de impozitare. Totodată, vor creşte salariile în administraţia publică şi se vor ieftini medicamentele cu 35%.



    Precizări MAE după atentatul de Anul Nou, de la Istanbul



    Ministerul Afacerilor Externe a precizat că, până în acest moment, nu există persoane de cetăţenie română printre victimele identificate în urma atacului terorist care a avut loc în noaptea de sâmbătă spre duminică într-un club din Istanbul, soldat cu zeci de morţi şi răniţi. Consulatul General al României la Istanbul menţine cazul în atenţie, păstrează legătura cu autorităţile locale şi cu spitalele la care au fost internate victimele, fiind pregătit sa acorde asistenţă consulară, în funcţie de necesităţi. MAE reaminteşte că cetăţenii români afectaţi pot solicita asistenţă consulară la următoarele numere de telefon ale Consulatului General al României la Istanbul (0090) 212 3583541, (0090) 212 3580516, (0090) 212 3583537, apelurile fiind redirecţionate către Centrul de Contact şi Suport al Cetăţenilor Români din Străinătate (CCSCRS) şi preluate de operatorii Call Center în regim de permanenţă.

  • Jurnal românesc – 26.12.2016

    Jurnal românesc – 26.12.2016

    Mesaje de Crăciun



    Lideri politici şi religioşi au adresat românilor mesaje de Crăciun. Preşedintele Klaus Iohannis le-a transmis conaţionalilor, într-un mesaj video postat pe Facebook, că, în ciuda provocărilor din ultimul an, pot fi găsite motive de optimism, precum şi puterea de a construi o societate mai bună. Pe aceeaşi reţea de socializare, premierul Dacian Cioloş a scris că, pentru el, Crăciunul a fost întotdeauna o sărbătoare în care credinţa s-a întrepătruns cu puritatea sufletului de copil, cu protecţia şi iubirea părintească. Patriarhul Bisericii Ortodoxe Române, Daniel, în Pastorala de Crăciun 2016, a îndemnat la “creşterea copiilor ţării în iubirea faţă de Dumnezeu şi faţă de semeni”. Totodată, Preafericitul a chemat la “ajutorare frăţească” şi “facere de bine”.



    Preşedintele va anunţa după Crăciun numele premierului desemnat



    Preşedintele României, Klaus Iohannis, va anunţa, după Crăciun, numele premierului desemnat. Şeful statului a avut înainte de sărbători consultări pe această temă cu partidele politice care au intrat în Parlament în urma alegerilor de pe 11 decembrie. Coaliţia majoritară PSD — ALDE, care deţine 54% din mandate şi este susţinută în Legislativ şi de UDMR, a propus-o ca premier pe social-democrata Sevil Shhaideh, fost ministru al Dezvoltării. Dintre partidele de dreapta, doar PMP, condus de fostul preşedinte Traian Băsescu, a venit cu o propunere de premier, în persoana lui Eugen Tomac. PNL şi USR au anunţat că vor face opoziţie şi nu vor susţine un guvern format în jurul PSD.



    Bilanț Lazăr Comănescu



    Ministrul afacerilor externe, Lazăr Comănescu, a susţinut joi, 22 decembrie, o conferinţă de presă în care a prezentat bilanţul mandatului său la conducerea MAE. Înaltul oficial a apreciat cu acest prilej modul în care Ministerul de Externe a răspuns cerinţelor şi doleanţelor cetăţenilor români din străinătate la alegerile parlamentare din acest an. În plus, Lazăr Comănescu a salutat înfiinţarea în 2016 a patru noi consulate, adăugând că s-a aprobat înfiinţarea altor două noi consulate generale, la Miami şi Edinburgh. Mai mult, el a precizat că se are în vedere extinderea reţelei consulare şi în Australia sau în Germania. Tot în ideea de a veni în sprijinul doleanţelor cetăţenilor români din străinătate, a fost “upgradat întreg sistemul informatic consular în serviciul extern”. Şeful diplomaţiei de la Bucureşti a mai spus că “România a avut rolul esenţial (…) în realizarea acordului dintre Uniunea Europeană şi Canada, cu privire la liberalizarea vizelor.” Pe 30 octombrie 2016, vă reamintim, în cadrul Summit-ului UE-Canada, de la Bruxelles, s-au semnat Acordul economic şi comercial cuprinzător între Uniunea Europeană şi statele sale membre, pe de o parte, şi Canada, pe de altă parte (CETA), precum şi cel de Parteneriat Strategic între UE şi Canada. Canada a anunţat că va elimina toate vizele pentru cetăţenii români şi bulgari de la 1 decembrie 2017.



    Restricții de circulație în Bosnia



    Ministerul Afacerilor Externe informează cetăţenii români care se află, tranzitează sau doresc să se deplaseze în Bosnia şi Herţegovina că, pe fondul nivelului de poluare extrem de ridicat din ultimele săptămâni, autorităţile cantonale din Sarajevo (include oraşul Sarajevo şi suburbiile), au luat măsuri privind introducerea regulii de circulaţie a autovehiculelor, pe principiul numerelor de înmatriculare pare/impare. Astfel, în ziua de 26 decembrie 2016, au drept de circulaţie pe drumurile publice din Cantonul Sarajevo autovehiculele al căror număr de înmatriculare se termină cu cifră pară. Măsura cu caracter temporar se aplică atât autovehiculelor înmatriculate în Bosnia şi Herţegovina, cât şi celor cu numere străine, cu excepţia autoturismelor cu numere diplomatice. Amenzile pentru nerespectarea deciziei autorităţilor din Cantonul Sarajevo sunt cuprinse între cca. 500 şi 2500 euro pentru persoane juridice, respectiv între cca. 250 şi 500 euro pentru persoane fizice.



    Avertismente de călătorie



    Ministerul Afacerilor Externe a emis mai multe noi avertismente de călătorie în Burundi, Kenya şi Tanzania. În plus, având în vedere evoluţia îngrijorătoare a situaţiei de securitate din Siria şi Libia, Ministerul Afacerilor Externe recomandă cu fermitate cetăţenilor români să evite orice fel de călătorie în aceste ţări, iar celor care se află încă pe teritoriul sirian sau libian să părăsească imediat aceste zone. Pentru informaţii suplimentare consultaţi pagina de internet www.mae.ro. Totodată, cetăţenii români care se deplasează în străinătate au la dispoziţie aplicaţia Călătoreşte în siguranţă” (disponibilă gratuit în App Store şi Google Play), ce oferă informaţii şi sfaturi de călătorie.

  • December 12, 2016

    December 12, 2016

    ELECTION The Social Democratic Party in
    Romania has obtained a landslide victory in the parliamentary election on
    Sunday with 45% of the votes, the Central Election Bureau has announced after
    over 99% of the votes were counted. Second came with only 20% the National
    Liberal Party followed by the Save Romania Union, which only a couple of months
    since its foundation has become the third main political group in Parliament
    with over 9% of the votes. Other parties that made it to Parliament are the
    right wing Alliance of Liberals and Democrats founded by incumbent Senate
    Speaker Calin Popescu Tariceanu with 6%, the Democratic Union of Ethnic
    Hungarians in Romania also with 6% and the People’s Movement Party of former
    president Traian Basescu. The 464 future deputies and senators have been
    elected by roughly 40% of the eligible Romanians, the lowest turnout in
    Legislative elections since 1989.








    HANDBALL Romania’s
    national handball side will be taking on the Czech representative at the
    European Championship in Sweden on Tuesday. On Sunday in their first game of
    the second group the Romanians secured a 29-21 win against Hungary. Norway
    comes first in the group standings with six points followed by Romania and
    Denmark, each with four points. Next come the Czech Republic and Russia, each
    with two points, whereas Hungary has no point. Romania is led by Spanish
    selector Ambros Martin who replaced Swedish Tomas Ryde, under whose guidance
    the Romanians came third in the World Championships in Denmark in 2015.




    COUNCIL Romanian Foreign
    Minister Lazar Comanescu is in Brussels to participate in the monthly session
    of the Foreign Affairs Council. According to a communiqué by the Foreign
    Affairs Ministry high on the agenda are several issues, such as the EU-Africa
    relation, the Democratic Republic of Congo and migration with emphasis on
    assessing the implementation of the Valletta commitments. The latest developments
    in Syria are also to be tackled.






    TRIAL The IMF director general Christine
    Lagarde will be facing legal proceedings over negligence charges in France for
    the time when she was Minister of the economy part of France’s right-wing
    government between 2007 and 2011. She has been accused of having awarded 404
    million euros in state payout to businessman Bernard Tapie. If guilty Lagarde
    could get a one-year prison sentence and 15 thousand euros in fines. We recall
    that the French justice has recently indicted former budget minister Jerome
    Cahuzac under the mandate of incumbent socialist president Francois Hollande
    for tax fraud and money laundering.






    REFUGEES Six refugees from Syria, Iraq and
    Iran who tried to illegally cross Romania’s border with Hungary hidden in an
    adjusted pickup truck have been captured by the Romanian border police. The
    pickup was driven by a Bulgarian national. The refugees, five men and a woman
    with ages between 15 and 30 years said they were trying to make it to a Shenghen
    state but lacked the documents needed to legally cross the border. Hundreds of
    refugees, mostly Syrians have tried to illegally cross into Romania on their
    way to the West this year.






    ISIS The Islamic State has regained
    control over the ancient city of Palmyra in central Syria and over its
    archaeological site, part of the UNESCO’s world heritage within hours of the
    apparently successful air strikes by Russian planes. ISIS’ reoccupation of
    Palmyra comes nine months after they were driven out by the Syrian and Russian
    troops in an onslaught that enjoyed wide media coverage. After having conquered
    Palmyra in May 2015 the ISIS fighters destroyed several ancient monuments and
    executed the director of the archaeological sites in the city.





  • December 12, 2016

    December 12, 2016

    ELECTION The Social Democratic Party in
    Romania has obtained a landslide victory in the parliamentary election on
    Sunday with 45% of the votes, the Central Election Bureau has announced after
    over 99% of the votes were counted. Second came with only 20% the National
    Liberal Party followed by the Save Romania Union, which only a couple of months
    since its foundation has become the third main political group in Parliament
    with over 9% of the votes. Other parties that made it to Parliament are the
    right wing Alliance of Liberals and Democrats founded by incumbent Senate
    Speaker Calin Popescu Tariceanu with 6%, the Democratic Union of Ethnic
    Hungarians in Romania also with 6% and the People’s Movement Party of former
    president Traian Basescu. The 464 future deputies and senators have been
    elected by roughly 40% of the eligible Romanians, the lowest turnout in
    Legislative elections since 1989.








    HANDBALL Romania’s
    national handball side will be taking on the Czech representative at the
    European Championship in Sweden on Tuesday. On Sunday in their first game of
    the second group the Romanians secured a 29-21 win against Hungary. Norway
    comes first in the group standings with six points followed by Romania and
    Denmark, each with four points. Next come the Czech Republic and Russia, each
    with two points, whereas Hungary has no point. Romania is led by Spanish
    selector Ambros Martin who replaced Swedish Tomas Ryde, under whose guidance
    the Romanians came third in the World Championships in Denmark in 2015.




    COUNCIL Romanian Foreign
    Minister Lazar Comanescu is in Brussels to participate in the monthly session
    of the Foreign Affairs Council. According to a communiqué by the Foreign
    Affairs Ministry high on the agenda are several issues, such as the EU-Africa
    relation, the Democratic Republic of Congo and migration with emphasis on
    assessing the implementation of the Valletta commitments. The latest developments
    in Syria are also to be tackled.






    TRIAL The IMF director general Christine
    Lagarde will be facing legal proceedings over negligence charges in France for
    the time when she was Minister of the economy part of France’s right-wing
    government between 2007 and 2011. She has been accused of having awarded 404
    million euros in state payout to businessman Bernard Tapie. If guilty Lagarde
    could get a one-year prison sentence and 15 thousand euros in fines. We recall
    that the French justice has recently indicted former budget minister Jerome
    Cahuzac under the mandate of incumbent socialist president Francois Hollande
    for tax fraud and money laundering.






    REFUGEES Six refugees from Syria, Iraq and
    Iran who tried to illegally cross Romania’s border with Hungary hidden in an
    adjusted pickup truck have been captured by the Romanian border police. The
    pickup was driven by a Bulgarian national. The refugees, five men and a woman
    with ages between 15 and 30 years said they were trying to make it to a Shenghen
    state but lacked the documents needed to legally cross the border. Hundreds of
    refugees, mostly Syrians have tried to illegally cross into Romania on their
    way to the West this year.






    ISIS The Islamic State has regained
    control over the ancient city of Palmyra in central Syria and over its
    archaeological site, part of the UNESCO’s world heritage within hours of the
    apparently successful air strikes by Russian planes. ISIS’ reoccupation of
    Palmyra comes nine months after they were driven out by the Syrian and Russian
    troops in an onslaught that enjoyed wide media coverage. After having conquered
    Palmyra in May 2015 the ISIS fighters destroyed several ancient monuments and
    executed the director of the archaeological sites in the city.





  • The Week in Review, December 4-10

    The Week in Review, December 4-10

    Saturday is a day of reflection in the run-up to the December 11th parliamentary elections in Romania


    Saturday is a day of reflection in Romania, in the run-up to the December 11th parliamentary elections. There are 6,500 people registered to compete for one of the 466 parliament seats, 136 in the Senate and 312 in the Chamber of Deputies. Adding to that there are 18 seats for the representatives of the national minorities, except for the Hungarian ones, whose representation is secured ex-officio. There are 43 constituencies: 41 counties, Bucharest and the Diaspora.



    The ballot will unfold in keeping with the new election legislation, which brings back, after an 8-year break, the list voting system. For a month, the candidates presented their political agendas and electoral offers by means of posters, rallies and meetings with the voters. December 8th was the deadline for submitting to the Electoral Bureau the envelopes containing the forms need for postal voting, which is a first in the Romanian election history. During Sundays elections, the IT monitoring system will automatically report to the police any record of multiple voting. The Interior Ministry has announced that after all the polls are closed, the stamps will be sealed. All IT operations will be recorded and stored, the ballot counting process will be video recorded, and the minutes will be filled in electronically and published automatically.



    The Romanian Foreign Minister participated in the NATO meeting in Brussels


    The new deep cooperation between NATO and the EU must also be applied to the neighborhood, in keeping with each organizations capacity, the Romanian Foreign Minister Lazar Comanescu said at the NATO foreign ministers meeting in Brussels. Referring to Russia, the Romanian official said that, although opinions may slightly differ, all the allies are in favour of a combination of deterrence measures and open dialogue. Lazar Comanescu: “Participating and cooperating with Russia for settling issues such as the crisis in Syria must not trigger in turn the risk of diminishing the attention that needs to be paid to the eastern neighborhood.



    Lazar Comanescu also reiterated Bucharests unequivocal support for Ukraines independence and territorial integrity, as well as for boosting cooperation between Kiev authorities and NATO. The participants also reviewed the situation in Afghanistan, and, against that background, the Romanian Foreign Minister presented Romanias significant contribution to NATOs commitments to that country.



    At the last NATO meeting this year, the participating foreign ministers also endorsed a package of 42 measures aimed at deepening cooperation with the EU in seven areas, including countering hybrid and cyber threats, working together in maritime operations and capability development.



    A week has been dedicated to the fight against border corruption


    Romania celebrated International Anti-Corruption Day on 9 December, organizing Fighting Border Corruption Week, in addition to applying enhanced measures to stop tax evasion. Between December 5th and 9th, the National Anti-Corruption Directorate worked to encourage responsible behavior and eliminating the risk of corruption, as well as raising awareness among citizens transiting the border with Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova. Citizens of the three states and tourists that crossed the border at Sighet, Halmeu, Galati, Oancea, Albita, Siret and the international airport in Bucharest, Otopeni, got from representatives of the NAD and the border police information materials, alongside recommendations to act with integrity and be proactive in signaling acts of corruption. In parallel with measures against corruption at the border, in December tax inspectors are running a campaign to check the books of a large number of companies.




    A strategy is put in place to motivate physicians to stay and work in Romania


    This week, a strategy was introduced by Romanian Health Minister Vlad Voiculescu. It is aimed at motivating physicians to stay and work in the country. Since 2007, when Romania joined the European Union, over 43,000 experts have applied for work abroad, which is the reason the four-year plan has been put in place.



    Minister Voiculescu: “Hospitals are facing a major staff shortage, and entire towns and villages don’t have a family physician. Motivating medical staff to stay and practice in Romania also refers to applying wage policies based on performance and results, granting incentives for practicing in isolated areas, as well as other financial incentives.



    Minister Voiculescu added that a few steps have already been taken to provide better pay in healthcare, such as better evaluations of hospital managers, while competitions for positions are more transparent by having all openings published on the government’s online platform. The plan, issued by the Health Ministry, with help from the Presidency and the World Health Organization, contains measures to provide better pay in healthcare, and better opportunities for career development.

  • 09.12.2016 (mise à jour)

    09.12.2016 (mise à jour)

    Elections — Samedi est une journée de réflexion pour l’électorat roumain, avant le scrutin parlementaire du 11 décembre. Un nombre de 6.500 candidats briguent 466 mandats de sénateurs et députés. Les autorités affirment avoir pris des mesures pour que le vote se déroule dans les meilleures conditions : un système informatique va signaler à la police toute tentative de vote multiple ; le dépouillement des urnes sera vidéo-surveillé; les procès-verbaux en format électronique seront publiés automatiquement. Les Roumains vivant à l’étranger auront accès à un nombre accru de sections de vote et pourront aussi opter, pour la première fois, pour le vote par correspondance. Vendredi, le président Klaus Iohannis a appelé, à nouveau, les Roumains à voter dimanche, car l’absentéisme, a-t-il dit, n’est jamais une solution.



    OSCE — Le ministre roumain des AE, Lazar Comanescu, a participé à Hambourg, en Allemagne, à la 23e réunion ministérielle de l’Organisation pour la Sécurité et la Coopération en Europe (OSCE), où il a exprimé le soutien ferme de Bucarest pour le rôle assumé par l’organisation dans le contexte de la crise en Ukraine, pays voisin de la Roumanie, et dans les efforts de trouver une solution aux conflits prolongés. Vendredi, dernier jour de la réunion, les Etats membres de l’OSCE ont convenu de la nécessité que les parties impliquées dans le conflit dans l’est de l’Ukraine tiennent les engagements assumés afin de mettre un terme à la violence dans cette région.



    Terroriste — La Cour d’appel Bucarest a décidé, ce vendredi, de placer en détention provisoire, pour 30 jours, Luigi Boicea, un jeune homme de 18 ans de Craiova, ville du sud du pays, que les procureurs du parquet antiterroriste de Roumanie ont interpellé jeudi soir, sous l’accusation de propagande islamiste et de préparation en vue de commettre des actes terroristes. Luigi Boicea avait attiré l’attention des autorités l’année dernière lorsqu’il était encore mineur. Il avait alors été placé sous contrôle judiciaire, mais il en a ignoré systématiquement les interdictions, continuant à consulter des sites Internet de l’organisation terroriste Etat Islamique, à suivre des cours en ligne de fabrication de bombes et d’utilisation des armes à feu, donnés par les djihadistes, et à diffuser sur Internet des enregistrements audio et vidéo de décapitations, d’exécutions par fusillade, et autres. Les procureurs affirment que Luigi Boicea avait essayé d’entrer en contact avec différents leaders ou représentants du groupe terroriste, pour obtenir du soutien en vue de commettre un attentat.



    Météo — Samedi, le froid fléchira en Roumanie, où les températures dépasseront les normales de saison, sous un ciel indécis. Le thermomètre affichera entre moins 6 et 4°, au lever du jour, et entre 2 et 12° en milieu de journée.

  • December 9, 2016 UPDATE

    December 9, 2016 UPDATE

    MAASTRICHT — December 9th marked the anniversary of 25 years since the signing of the Maastricht Treaty, which set the basis for the European Union. The moment was marked on Friday in the Dutch city of Maastricht by a special conference, attended by the presidents of the European Commission and the European Parliament Jean Claude Juncker and Martin Schultz respectively, as well as by the former president of the European Council Herman van Rompuy. In a speech delivered on this occasion, the European Commission President, Jean Claude Junker, said: “We cannot explain the European Union, the European project, simply by going back to history. That is important, but if we want to convince younger people that the European Union is a must today and in the years to come, we have to explain European history in a perspective. Those who do think that time has come to deconstruct, to put Europe in pieces, to subdivide us in national divisions, are totally wrong. We will not exist as single nations without the European Union,” Junker said. On December 9, 1991, the heads of state and government of the 12 countries that made up the then community bloc, among whom the French Francois Mitterrand and the German Helmuth Kohl, agreed with turning the European Economic Community into the European Union. The agreement was signed in 1992 and came into force one year later.




    ROMANIAN ELECTIONS — Romanians will go to the polls on Sunday, to elect their parliament members. Over 6,500 people are running for the 466 seats in the Romanian Parliament, 136 senators and 330 deputies. Authorities say that all measures have been taken for the smooth running of the elections. Thus, a computerised monitoring system will automatically signal any multiple voting attempt. The vote counting will be recorded on camera. Romanians in the Diaspora can cast their vote at one of the polling stations abroad. Also, the postal voting has been introduced as of this year. The Romanian President, Klaus Iohannis, on Friday urged Romanians to go to the polls on Sunday to vote in the parliamentary elections. He said that absenteeism was never a solution.




    TERRORISM – The Bucharest Court of Appeal on Friday ruled that Luigi Boicea from Craiova, southern Romania, be taken into custody for 30 days. The young man is accused of Islamist propaganda and for having learned how to commit terrorist attacks. Boicea, aged 18, has visited Islamic State websites, has taken online courses held by jihadists in order to learn how to make bombs and posted videos with people being executed. Prosecutors say that the young man has been trying to contact ISIS leaders to get their support in committing terrorist attacks.




    OSCE — The Romanian Foreign Minister, Lazăr Comănescu, who on Thursday and Friday attended in Hamburg, Germany, the 23rd OSCE ministerial meeting, expressed Bucharest’s firm support for the role assumed by the the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe in the context of the Ukrainian crisis and of the efforts to solve prolonged conflicts. On Friday, the OSCE member countries agreed on the need for all parties involved in the conflict in eastern Ukraine to fulfil their pledge in order to put an end to violence.




    IMPEACHMENT – The South Korean President, Park Geun-Hye, was dismissed by her Government. The dismissal motion was initiated on Thursday by the South Korean MP’s and received the approval of 234 lawmakers from a total of 300 members of the National Assembly. The motion suspends Park Geun-Hye’s authority as the president of South Korea. In the motion, Park is accused of violating the Constitution and a number of other offenses ranging from failure to protect people, to corruption and abuse of power. The document was submitted to vote in the National Assembly on Friday morning.




    FOOTBALL — Romania’s football champions, Astra Giurgiu, ended in a goalless draw the match held on Thursday evening on home ground against the Italian eleven AS Rome, in their last match of the Europa League groups and have thus qualified for the first time to the round of 32 of the Europa League finals. With 8 points accumulated Astra ended on 2nd place in the group after the Italians. In the same competition, Romania’s vice-champions Steaua Bucharest was defeated 1-2 in an away match against the Spanish team Villareal. With only 6 points the Steaua Bucharest footballers ended on last place of the group and had to leave the competition.



    (Translated by Elena Enache)



  • NATO şi viitorul Europei

    NATO şi viitorul Europei

    Reuniţi timp de două zile la Bruxelles, în cadrul ultimei
    reuniuni din acest an, şefii diplomaţiilor din ţările NATO au adoptat un pachet
    de 42 de măsuri de cooperare aprofundată cu Uniunea Europeană. Este vorba
    despre măsuri de cooperare în şapte domenii, inclusiv în contracararea
    ameninţărilor hibride şi cibernetice, colaborarea în operaţiuni maritime şi
    dezvoltarea de capabilităţi, măsuri prin care se pune în practică declaraţia
    comună NATO-UE de la summitul din vară de la Varşovia. Declaraţia adoptată acum
    la Bruxelles arată că în acest moment securitatea Europei şi a Americii de Nord
    este mai interconectată decât oricând, cu provocări care vin din Sud şi Est,
    cărora trebuie să li se răspundă prin acţiuni comune şi colaborare.

    În opinia
    secretarului general al Alianţei Nord-Atlantice, Jens Stoltenberg, NATO are
    motive de îngrijorare privind situaţia globală de securitate, dar nu consideră
    că există vreo ameninţare iminentă la adresa vreunui membru al Alianţei.
    Statele aliate au reafirmat, pe de altă parte, cu fermitate că agresivitatea
    Rusiei nu va fi tolerată. Jens Stoltenberg a pledat pentru menţinerea
    sancţiunilor economice împotriva Rusiei până la aplicarea completă a acordurilor
    de la Minsk, o chestiune ferm susţinută şi de România.

    Poziţia Bucureştiului,
    aşa cum a fost exprimată la reuniunea de la Bruxelles de şeful diplomaţiei
    române, Lazăr Comănescu, este că Alianţa şi Uniunea Europeană nu trebuie să se
    suprapună, ci să colaboreze în proiectarea de securitate în vecinătate în
    funcţie de capacităţile diferite pe care le are fiecare organizaţie în parte.
    Lazăr Comănescu a adăugat că, în ce priveşte Rusia, deşi sunt şi opinii uşor
    diferite ca nuanţă, este evident că toţi aliaţii susţin combinarea măsurilor de
    descurajare şi apărare, în paralel cu deschiderea la dialog. În altă ordine de
    idei, România va continua să-şi menţină prezenţa în Afganistan şi anul viitor,
    a mai spus ministrul Comănescu. El a precizat, în acelaşi timp, că secretarul
    general al Alianţei a insistat pe nevoia ca mecanismele mai vechi de control
    reciproc NATO-Rusia în ce priveşte exerciţiile militare şi armamentul să fie
    menţinute, iar acestă declaraţie arată decizia aliaţilor de a nu renunţa la
    formate deja negociate chiar dacă se vehiculează şi formule noi.

    Jens
    Stoltenberg s-a arătat, de asemenea, convins că noua administraţie americană
    susţine consolidarea relaţiei dintre NATO şi UE şi şi-a exprimat convingerea că
    Statele Unite vor rămâne angajate în legătura transatlantică, dar şi în NATO şi
    se vor ridica la înălţimea aşteptărilor în ce priveşte garantarea securităţii
    Europei.

  • 8 December 2016, UPDATE

    8 December 2016, UPDATE

    EU. The EU’s Justice and Home Affairs Council meets in Brussels for
    talks over ways of combating EU budget frauds, a strategy for the single
    digital market, the reform of the common European asylum system and the fight
    against terrorism. The previous Council meeting was held on November 18th
    and discussed, among others, the European Travel Information and Authorisation System. At the time, the European
    Commission presented a proposal that would allow advance checks and even deny
    entry to visa-exempt travellers. EU justice and interior ministers have asked
    experts to start examining the Commission’s proposal, which they believe will
    help strengthen the EU’s security and border control policy.

    Plagiarism. Romania’s National Council for the Validation of University Titles, Diplomas and Certificates on Thursday dismissed allegations that the head of the
    National Anti-corruption Directorate Laura Codruta Kovesi plagiarised in her
    doctoral thesis. The Council established there were no serious irregularities
    about her thesis and proposed that Kovesi should maintain her doctoral title.
    The allegation of plagiarism was made by a non-governmental organisation. In
    mid-November, the Ethics Committee of Timisoara’s West University said 564
    lines of Kovesi’s doctoral thesis were similar with other sources. Experts say
    the notification regarding plagiarism in this case is partly justified and
    grounded. Kovesi is one of many public figures in Romania, including
    politicians and senior officials, to be accused of plagiarism.




    OSCE. The Romanian Foreign
    Minister Lazar Comanescu is attending the 13th OSCE Ministerial
    Council Meeting in Hamburg. This is the main annual event bringing together
    foreign ministers and high-ranking officials from the 57 participating countries and representatives of OSCE
    partners. According to the Romanian foreign ministry, the Hamburg meeting is
    taking place amidst a complex political environment characterised by major
    challenges to regional security and stability, the lack of progress in settling
    prolonged conflicts, the intensification of terrorist threats in the OSCE area
    and the deterioration of the refugee crisis. The participants are addressing
    three key areas: political and military, economic and environmental and
    humanitarian. The meeting in Hamburg marks the end of the German presidency of
    the OSCE, which will be taken over by Austria in 2017.




    Communism. The Institute for the Investigation of
    Communist Crimes and the Memory of Romanian Exile will be able to organise
    museum, remembrance and exhibition activities in Romania and abroad, following
    a decision by the technocratic government in Bucharest on Thursday. The
    government said the Institute would manage national databases regarding the
    history of communism in Romania, monuments and memorial sites, anti-communist
    fighters and the victims of communism. The communist system collapsed in
    Romania in December 1989.




    Italy. Italy’s president Sergio Mattarella begins talks to form a new
    government following the resignation of prime minister Matteo Renzi. According
    to France Presse news agency, the options are maintaining a Democrat government
    until 2018 when parliamentary elections are due or calling early elections, as
    requested by the opposition. Opinion polls indicate that the populist and
    anti-European Five Star Movement party has a chance to become the largest party
    in Parliament. Radio Romania’s correspondent in Italy tells us that mainstream
    political parties are trying to block the populists’ access to power, including
    by changing electoral rules. Matteo Renzi has resigned after the Italian voters
    rejected in a referendum his proposal to reform the constitution.






    Handball. The Romanian women’s
    handball side on Wednesday night secured a
    22-17 win against Olympic champions Russia in their second D group match at the
    European Championship underway in Sweden. Romania, who lost their first game
    21-23 to defending European and World champions Norway, will be taking on
    Croatia on Friday in a match that will decide their qualification for the main
    round. Romania have a Spanish coach, Ambros Martin, who last month replaced the
    German coach Tomas Ryde, who was at the helm when Romania won the bronze medal
    at last year’s World Championship in Denmark.

  • December 7, 2016 UPDATE

    December 7, 2016 UPDATE

    CONSTITUTIONAL COURT– Romanias Constitutional Court will decide on December 14 in relation to the notifications filed by the National Liberal Party and the technocratic government regarding the law that changes the ordinance on the salaries of personnel paid from public funds. The Chamber of Deputies passed the law on November 7, with the amendments proposed by the experts committees, which provide for pay rises by 15% in the education and healthcare systems. The PM Dacian Ciolos subsequently announced that the government had to ask for a constitutionality check of the law passed by Parliament, and not of the emergency ordinance.



    FOREIGN AFFAIRS – The Romanian foreign minister, Lazar Comanescu, on Wednesday expressed Bucharests unequivocal support for Ukraines independence and territorial integrity, as well as for boosting cooperation between the Ukrainian authorities and the North-Atlantic Alliance. Attending the meeting of the NATO foreign ministers held in Brussels, Comanescu encouraged Ukraines domestic reform efforts. The participants also analyzed the situation in Afghanistan, with the Romanian foreign minister presenting Romanias significant contribution to NATOs commitments to that country.



    QUAKE – As many as 100 people have died and several hundreds have been injured, and tens of buildings have collapsed in Indonesia following a 6.4 magnitude quake that hit the province of Aceh, in the north. The earthquake occurred in the morning at a depth of 8 kms. No tsunami alert has been issued. The province of Aceh was seriously damaged in 2004 following a 9.2 magnitude quake that was followed by a tsunami. 120,000 people died in that natural disaster.



    TABLE TENNIS – Romanian table tennis players Adina Diaconu and Andreea Dragoman on Wednesday won the gold medal in the doubles of the World Junior Table Tennis Championships in Cape Town, South Africa. In the finals, Diaconu and Dragoman defeated the Japanese Hina Hayata and Miyu Kato, 4-2. In the singles, Diaconu won the bronze medal, and afterwards lost in the semi-finals to Mak Tze Wing of Hong Kong, 0-4. (Translated by L. Simion and D. Vijeu)

  • November 30, 2016 UPDATE

    November 30, 2016 UPDATE

    NATIONAL DAY – On December 1st Romania’s National Day will be celebrated across the country and abroad, including in theatres of operation, with parades, religious ceremonies, exhibitions of combat military technology and weapons, and cultural events. The date of 1st of December 1918 remains a symbol for the union of all Romanians. Declared an official holiday after the anti-communist revolution of 1989, 1st of December marks the completion, at the end of World War I, of the creation of the Romanian nation state following the union of all provinces with majority Romanian populations, that had been part of multinational empires. More than 3,000 military and experts from the defence and interior ministries and the Romanian Intelligence Service made the final rehearsals for the National Day parade in Bucharest. The parade route will again pass underneath the Arch of Triumph after being hosted by the Constitution Square for the last two years as the Arch was undergoing restoration works. The Romanian military will be joined by their counterparts from other allied and partner states such as the UK, Italy, Germany, the Republic of Moldova, Poland, Slovakia, Spain and the US. The list of cultural events dedicated to the National Day celebrations include a host of traditional music concerts and performances organised by the Eudoxiu Hurmuzachi Institute for Romanians Abroad and the Romanian Cultural Institute between the 27th of November and 4th of December for the large Romanian communities in Spain and Italy.




    ST. ANDREW’S DAY — Orthodox, Greek Catholic and Roman Catholic believers from all over the world, Romania included, celebrated on Tuesday St. Apostle Andrew. He is the first of Jesus Christ apostles who preached Christianity in the south of Romania, in Dobrudgea. He also preached the Gospel in Greece died as a martyr in the Greek town of Patras, being crucified on an X shaped cross. Over 700 thousand Romanians named after St. Andrew celebrated their name day on Tuesday.




    MESSAGE — The United States has congratulated Romanians on their National Day. A message posted on the Internet page of the US State Department, signed by the US Secretary of State, John Kerry, says “On behalf of President Obama and the American people, I offer my sincerest congratulations to the people of Romania as you celebrate the 98th anniversary of your nation’s Unification Day on December 1.” The message also says that the US Government places a high value on its strategic partnership with Romania, a trusted NATO Ally and a major contributor to international peace, security, and the rule of law.




    ROYAL TRAIN – The royal train started on Wednesday its annual journey dedicated this time to the anniversary of 150 years since Romania’s Royal House was established and to the promulgation of the 1866 Constitution. Accompanying princess Margarita, Custodian of the Romanian Crown, Prince Radu and Princess Maria on this two-day trip will be representatives of the royal families of Belgium and Bulgaria and also students with notable results, professors and personalities of the civil society. On Wednesday the train reached the mountain resort of Sinaia. The journey will be resumed on December 1st, on Romania’s National Day. Its final destination is the city of Sibiu.




    SECURITY — The security of the European Union and that of the Western Balkans are inseparable, so solution can only emerge from a close cooperation among the countries in this region and the EU, Romanian Foreign Minister Lazar Comanescu said on Monday in Warsaw, where he attended the Meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Visegrad Group and the Western Balkans. The meeting was also attended by the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the Commission Federica Mogherini and by Bulgaria, Croatia, Italy, Romania, and Slovenia. The V4 Ministers reiterated, among other things, their continued interest in and support for the Western Balkan countries on their EU path.




    FUNERALS – Thousands of Cubans have lined the streets of Havana to see a caravan carrying the ashes of the former president Fidel Castro, from Havana to the eastern city of Santiago de Cuba, 800-km away. The ashes will retrace the route taken by Fidel Castro from Santiago to the capital after his victory over Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista, only in reverse. The ashes will be interred Sunday, ending the nine-day mourning period for the man who ruled the country for nearly 50 years. Fidel Castro died on Friday, aged 90. State funerals will be held on Sunday in Santiago.




    DEBT — Romania has to pay over 1.26 billion euros in 2017 to the EU and the World Bank of the stand-by loan taken out in 2009, according to the Romanian finance Ministry. Over 1.25 billion euros are to be paid back to the EU and only 9 million euros to the World Bank. This year Romania has paid 113 million euros to the EU and the World Bank, covering interests rate and commissions. Romania has to pay, until 2023, over 4.77 billion euros worth of debt to the two international bodies.


    (Translated by Elena Enache)





  • Retrospectiva săptămânii 20-26.11.2016

    Retrospectiva săptămânii 20-26.11.2016

    Executivul
    român aprobă o nouă rectificare
    bugetară.


    Guvernul a adoptat cea de-a doua
    rectificare bugetară din acest an. Potrivit ministrului de Finanţe, Anca Dragu,
    aceasta este una pozitiva şi reflectă modul eficient în care au
    fost gestionaţi banii publici, dar şi creşterea economică. Rectificarea a vizat, în
    principal, sănătatea, investiţiile, plăţile directe în agricultură şi
    susţinerea unor proiecte şi politici în domeniul educaţiei şi asistenţei
    sociale, finanţate prin administraţia publică locală. Rectificarea a avut în
    vedere redistribuirea unor fonduri care nu mai pot fi cheltuite până la
    sfârşitul anului 2016, pentru asigurarea finanţării unor programe în derulare.
    În plus, s-a urmărit păstrarea echilibrului macroeconomic şi a ţintei de
    deficit bugetar sub 3% din PIB.



    Foşti miniştri şi foşti
    directori ai celebrei companii Microsoft România,
    anchetaţi de DNA.


    Trei foşti miniştri sunt
    urmariţi penal în aşa numitul dosar Microsoft 2. Cu un prejudiciu de 67 de
    milioane de dolari, acesta vizează închirierea de licenţe pentru şcoli începând
    cu 2004. Dan Nica, fost ministru al comunicaţiilor şi tehnologiei
    informaţiei (2000-2004), Silvia Adriana Ţicău, pe rând, secretar de stat şi
    ministru al comunicaţiilor şi tehnologiei informaţiei (2003-2004) şi Alexandru
    Athanasiu, ministru al educaţiei şi cercetării (2003-2005), sunt anchetaţi
    pentru abuz în serviciu. Toţi trei sunt acuzaţi în legătură cu iniţierea,
    aprobarea sau susţinerea unor proiecte de hotărâri de guvern prin care s-a
    aprobat încheierea cu firma Fujitsu Siemens, deţinută de omul de afaceri
    Claudiu Florică, a contractului de închiriere de licenţe Microsoft, fără a
    exista un necesar fundamentat. În acelaşi dosar, sunt anchetaţi şi doi foşti directori ai
    Companiei Microsoft România, precum şi Claudiu Florică. Potrivit procurorilor, Fujitsu
    Siemens a cumpărat închirierea licenţelelor de la Microsoft şi a vândut-o apoi
    Guvernului, la preţ supraevaluat. Diferenţa de preţ a fost împărţirtă între cei
    implicaţi în această afacere extrem de profitabilă. Tot în acest caz, DNA a
    solicitat începerea urmăririi penale şi în cazul deputatului Eugen Bejinariu,
    fost secretar general al Guvernului în perioada 2003-2004, actual parlamentar,
    pe care îl acuză de abuz în
    serviciu în formă continuată.



    Prognoză economică
    îmbunătăţită a Bancii Mondiale privind economia românească.


    Banca Mondială
    şi-a îmbunătățit estimările privind avansul economiei româneşti în 2016, până
    la 5,1%, de la 4% cât estima în luna iunie. Instituţia financiară atrage, însă,
    atenţia că saltul înregistrat de economia românească în acest an va fi urmat în
    2017 de o încetinire a creşterii la 3,8%, pentru ca în 2018 avansul să se
    reducă la 3,4%. Deficitul bugetului consolidat ar urma să se adâncească,
    apropiindu-se de 3% din PIB atât în 2016 cât şi în 2017, de la 1,5% din PIB în
    2015, ceea ce va duce la o mărire a datoriei publice. Guvernul Romaniei va
    trebui să ţină sub control presiunile actuale pe cheltuieli şi să
    îmbunătăţească eficienţa colectării taxelor pentru a evita intrarea în
    procedura de deficit excesiv. Şi FMI a estimat recent că România va înregistra
    în acest an cea mai mare creştere economică din Europa, de 5%, urmată de
    Irlanda (4,9%). La începutul lunii noiembrie, Comisia Europeană a revizuit în
    creştere cu un punct procentual, la 5,2%, estimările referitoare la creşterea
    economiei româneşti în acest an.



    Şeful diplomaţiei române în
    vizită oficială în Italia.


    Ministrul român
    de Externe, Lazăr Comănescu, a discutat, la Roma, cu omologul italian Paolo
    Gentiloni despre relaţiile bilaterale, dar şi despre viitorul Europei după Brexit, migraţie, situaţia din
    Republica Moldova după alegerile prezidenţiale sau relaţiile cu Federaţia Rusă.Cei doi
    demnitari au evidenţiat relaţia privilegiată dintre România şi Italia, bazată
    pe un Parteneriat strategic consolidat, precum şi necesitatea unei cooperări
    aprofundate care să contribuie la consolidarea, în continuare, a proiectului
    european. Atât Lazăr Comănescu, cât şi Paolo Gentiloni au vorbit despre
    comunitatea românească din Italia, foarte bine integrată, şi despre cea
    italiană de afaceri, deosebit de activă, din România.Peste 25.000 de firme italiene sunt prezente în România, a
    precizat Paolo Gentiloni.



    Legea industriei naţionale de apărare promulgată în România.


    Preşedintele
    României, Klaus Iohannis, a promulgat Legea privind industria naţională de
    apărare. Actul normativ fusese adoptat, luna trecută, de Senat, în calitate de
    cameră decizională. Legea reglementează organizarea sectorului pe domenii de
    activitate strategice, restructurarea şi regruparea de capacităţi, stimularea
    investiţiilor, creşterea competitivităţii şi diversificarea produselor
    specifice domeniului, precum şi participarea la activităţile industriei
    europene de apărare. Cheltuielile de apărare ale României au crescut cu
    jumătate de miliard de dolari în 2016 prin comparaţie cu 2009. Cu 1,48 % din
    PIB alocat Apărării, România se situează pe locul al treilea în topul
    cheltuielilor destinate echipării forţelor militare dintre statele membre NATO.
    În urma consultărilor politice, Klaus Iohannis a obţinut un acord în virtutea căruia
    Apărării i se va aloca din 2017 minim 2% din PIB. În prezent, numai
    cinci ţări membre UE respectă acest obiectiv NATO.

  • Rumänien und Italien pflegen enge Handelsbeziehungen

    Rumänien und Italien pflegen enge Handelsbeziehungen

    Die bilateralen Beziehungen zwischen Rumänien und Italien charakterisieren sich in den letzen 20 Jahren, besonders seitdem Rumänien der NATO und der EU beigetreten ist, durch einen intensen politischen Dialog und einer wirtschaftlichen, kulturellen und wissenschfatlichen Zusammenarbeit, die von einer konsolidierten strategischen Partnerschaft unterstützt wird. Die bedeutende Rolle der rumänischen Gemeinschaft in Italien, sowie jene der italienischen Gemeinschaft in Rumänien kann nicht übersehen werden.



    Der rumänische Außenminister Lazăr Comănescu kam am Dienstag in Rom mit seinem italienischen Gegenüber Paolo Gentiloni zusammen. Angegangen wurden Themen wie Europa nach dem Brexit, Migration, die Lage in der Moldaurepublik nach den Präsidentschaftswahlen und die Beziehungen mit Russland. Italien und Rumänien pflegen enge Handelsbeziehungen dank der Präsenz von rund 25.000 italienischen Unternehmen in Rumänien. Für Italien ist Rumänien ein wesentlicher Markt und eine Geschäftsbrücke zwischen dem Schwarzen und dem Kaspischen Meer. Lazăr Comănescu und Paolo Gentiloni haben über künftige Zusammenarbeitsmöglichkeiten in verschiedenen Bereichen gesprochen. Laut Außenminister Lazăr Comănescu stellen die Italiener in Rumänien und die Rumänen in Italien einen Konsolidierungsfaktor der bilateralen Beziehungen dar:




    “Heute, zehn Jahre nach dem EU- Beitritt Rumäniens, können wir behaupten, dass die rumänsiche Gemeinschaft in Italien und die Italiener, die in Rumänien leben, einen Konsolidierungsfaktor der bilateralen Beziehungen darastellt. Ich beziehe mich nicht nur auf die italienischen Geschäftsleute, sondern auf die italienische Minderheit, die nicht sehr zahlreich ist, aber zu der Entwicklung der rumänischen Gesellschaft beiträgt.




    Rumänien und Italien arbeiten zusammen, was die europäische Politik betrifft. Ein Beispiel sei die gemeinsame Stellung gegenüber der Art und Weise in der Großbritiannien die EU verlässt und den Weg für die Westbalkanstaaten ebnet. Außenminister Lazăr Comănescu dankte seinem italienischen Gegenüber Paolo Gentiloni für die Unterstützung unseres Landes für einen Beitritt zum Schengen-Raum:




    “Im gegenwärtigen Hintergrund bemerken wir, dass man immer mehr über Migration diskutiert, über die besondere Bedeutung der Verstärkung der EU- Außengrenzen. Ich kann behaupten, dass Rumäniem daran beiträgt. Der Beitritt Rumäniens zum Schengen-Raum könnte den Beitrag unseres Landes an der Verstärkung der Außengrenzen erhöhen .




    Der rumänische Außenminister Comănescu äußerte sich auch zum Thema Migration und drückte die Solidarität Rumäniens mit den europäischen Staaten, die in der ersten Reihe stehen, aus. Italien zähle unter diesen Staaten.